shiksa
Yiddish for gentile
Shiksa is a Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman, especially one romantically involved with a Jewish man.
The word carries complex connotations—sometimes affectionate, sometimes dismissive, occasionally fetishizing: He married a shiksa from Minnesota.
In Jewish families, it may signal mild disapproval of interfaith relationships.
The male equivalent is shegetz.
Fair-haired person
- alluringPowerfully appealing
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- forbiddenNot allowed
- temptressWoman who entices
seductive · unattainable · taboo · femme fatale · intrigue · fetishized · idealized · transgressive
Of non-Hebrew peoples
- non-JewishOutside Jewish faith
- goyNon-Jewish person
- chuppahJewish wedding canopy
- intermarriageWedding between different groups
Person not yet known
- unfamiliarNot previously known
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- otherDistinct from those mentioned
- alienatedMade distant or hostile
excluded · unacquainted · foreign · different · non-member · uninitiated
Wedding between different groups
- conversionAct of changing states
- ecumenicalPromoting religious unity
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
coexistence · inclusivity · interreligious · interdenominational · outreach · acceptance · integration · boundary-crossing
blonde
Fair-haired person
temptress · seductive · unattainable · taboo · femme fatale · intrigue · fetishized · idealized · transgressive · desirable
gentile
Of non-Hebrew peoples
- non-JewishOutside Jewish faith
- goyNon-Jewish person
- chuppahJewish wedding canopy
stranger
Person not yet known
- unfamiliarNot previously known
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- otherDistinct from those mentioned
alienated · excluded · unacquainted · foreign · different · non-member · uninitiated
intermarriage
Wedding between different groups
- conversionAct of changing states
- ecumenicalPromoting religious unity
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
dialogue · coexistence · inclusivity · interreligious · interdenominational · outreach · acceptance · integration · boundary-crossing
schmo
Pitiable, foolish nobody
- shtickPerformer's signature gimmick
- schlepAwkward, effortful journey
- schmaltzPoultry fat or sentimentality
schmuck · schnoz · shmutz · kvetch · klutz · maven · chutzpah · nosh · shlemiel · mensch
- Yiddishchutzpah, kvetch, mensch, schlep, tchotchke
- Jewish comedyBorscht Belt, Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry David